Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirl Soccer Signs Nine
February 03, 2016 | Cowgirl Soccer
Oklahoma State has inked nine players to its incoming class for 2016, it was announced today by Cowgirl head coach Colin Carmichael.
The list of signees includes eight players from the high school ranks as well as a two-time junior college All-American, and the group is strong with players who have youth national team experience and who have played with high-level club teams. Seven of the newcomers hail from Texas, while OSU signed one each from Oklahoma and Switzerland.
"Bringing in so many new players is great, it's exciting for us to get these young, hungry, energetic players," Carmichael said. "We've got some great talent in this class, and the sheer numbers will hopefully make us a little bit deeper. We made a push two years ago that we wanted to bring in a little bit more athleticism and a little more strength. We think we've done that. We think we've addressed the needs that we had."
Claire Gantzer, F/D, Plano, Texas (Plano Senior HS/Sting ECNL/Solar ECNL)
A participant in the ECNL Player Development Program, Gantzer was also an all-district performer at Plano Senior High School and starred for a pair of club teams at Sting and Solar, which she helped lead to a North American League championship in 2014. Gantzer was also recruited by TCU, Sam Houston State and Northwestern State.
Gantzer is listed as a three-star recruit by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
Carmichael on Gantzer: "Claire is a big, strong, athletic player who can play forward or defense for us. She scores goals. She's a threat in the air so she's good defensively in the air, but she also scores on corners and set plays. The fact that she can play two positions gives her a lot of versatility and gives her a great chance to get on the field immediately."
Dani Greenlee, GK, Rockwall, Texas (Rockwall HS/Solar SC/Sting SC)
Greenlee starred for Liverpool/Solar SC from 2010-14 before joining Sting SC in 2014. A regional ODP participant, she also participated in Nike id2 National Training Camp and with the United States U-14 and U-15 National Teams. Others recruiting Greenlee included Oklahoma, Arkansas, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, South Carolina and TCU.
Greenlee is listed as a four-star recruit by TopDrawerSoccer.com and is No. 129 on the Girls IMG Academy Top 150. TDS.com ranks her as the 12th-best goalie nationally.
Carmichael on Greenlee: "Dani is a very talented goalkeeper who has the ability to make some really athletic saves. She has good size so she has a presence in goal and can command her penalty box. She's had great experience with the yo uth national teams and played on some very high-level club teams which gives her a chance to come in and compete for that starting spot in goal."
Elise Hawn, D, Melissa, Texas (Melissa HS/D'Feeters)
– Along with starring for seven years at the club level for the D'Feeters, Hawn was a captain for two seasons at Melissa High School. As a prep, she earned all-district, all-state and district defensive MVP honors and scored 21 goals as a junior. A two-sport star who also excels in track, Hawn was also recruited by Louisville, Florida, San Diego and Rice.
TopDrawerSoccer.com listed Hawn as a three-star recruit.
Carmichael on Hawn: "Elise is a fierce competitor, hates losing and has been a real leader on her club team, has a great mentality. She's fast, very mobile and tenacious and all those qualities that we're looking for in defenders. On her club team, she's always been one of the best players so it's forced her into leadership role, and we hope she brings that to our team."
Jaci Jones, MF/F, Mustang, Okla. (Mustang HS/Oklahoma FC '98/FC Dallas '98)
Jones spent seven years as a member of the Oklahoma ODP and was on the Region 3 team in 2014 and 2015. As part of OFC '98, she led the club to three consecutive state championships and a Southern Regional Premier League title. In 2014, she helped FC Dallas to the ECNL National Championship final eight and was part of an Oklahoma City FC club that advanced to the national final four in 2015.
At Mustang High School, Jones was a three-year all-district performer on the pitch and led MHS to the Class 6A state semifinals twice. She also lettered four years in cross country and two in track and field. Jones was also recruited by Tulsa, Kansas and Houston.
Carmichael on Jones: "Jaci is a creative, technical attacking midfielder or forward. She always creates looks at goal for her teammates and has the ability to squeeze passes and bend the ball that a lot of other kids don't have. She sees the field really well and is also a threat to score."
Julia Lenhardt, MF, Frisco, Texas (Frisco HS/Dallas Sting)
Lenhardt was a member of the United States Under-19 National Team in the fall of 2015 and has starred six years for Dallas Sting, where she led the club to conference titles in 2014 and 2015 and a seventh-place finish at the ECNL Finals in 2013. Lenhardt participated in the ECNL Player Development Program as well as the ECNL id2 Camp.
At Frisco High School, Lenhardt was an all-district and all-state performer who led FHS to a district championship and regional finals appearance in 2015.
Lenhardt is listed as a three-star recruit by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
Carmichael on Lenhardt: "In our opinion, Julia is one of the best midfielders in the country. She's intelligent, very good in possession of the ball, not afraid to mix it up defensively and starts a lot of attacks from the defensive center-mid position. We're hoping she can step right in and give us a nice influence in the center-mid."
Charmé Morgan, D, Frisco, Texas (Centennial HS/Dallas Texans ECNL '98)
A 13-year veteran of Dallas Texans '98, Morgan helped lead the club on several deep runs in the ECNL playoffs. At Centennial High School, she was a two-time, first-team all-state and all-district performer and was the 2015 All-District 9-5A Utility Player of the Year.
TopDrawerSoccer.com lists Morgan as a three-star recruit.
Carmichael on Morgan: "Charmé is a fast, athletic, aggressive defender who likes to compete and does not like to get beat on the dribble. She uses her body well and can get up-and-down the flank. She can play either wide back or center back so her versatility is going to help us and give her more options as far as getting on the field quicker."
Kirsten Siragusa, D, Rowlett, Texas (Sachse HS/Sting ECNL '98)
Siragusa was a member of the United States Under-18 National Team in 2014 and 2015 as well as Nike National id2 Camp in each of those years. She starred for FC Dallas '98 from 2006-12 before competing for Sting '98 ECNL since 2013 and helped lead both of those clubs to top 10 national finishes.
At Sachse High School, she is a four-year letterwinner who has twice been named district defensive MVP. She has led SHS to three district championships and a pair of regional semifinal appearances.
A four-star recruit by TopDrawerSoccer.com, Siragusa checks in at No. 47 on the Girls IMG Academy Top 150 and is listed as the fourth-best defender nationally and best in the Texas Region.
Carmichael on Siragusa: "Kirsten is a very tough, aggressive defender who competes and isn't afraid to mix it up physically. On the flip side, she's very good at building out of the back so she is good at starting attacks from the center back position and that's something our team can improve upon next year. She's a leader and one of the most competitive kids we've seen in the recruiting process."
Coumba Sow, MF, Zurich, Switzerland (Monroe Community College)
Sow will join the Cowgirls after a standout JUCO career at Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York, where the Swiss midfielder was a two-time, first-team All-American and scored 28 goals and 30 assists in 34 games.
As a freshman, Sow led the Tribunes with 20 goals and 21 assists in 19 games and led the team to a regional championship. She capped her career with eight goals and nine assists in 15 games as a sophomore and was named the Region III Player of the Year.
Sow also competed for the Swiss Under-19 National Team, and her club team, FC Zurich, won three-straight national championships from 2012-14.
Carmichael on Sow: "Coumba is tall, technical midfielder who is very good at building attacks. She sees the game really well and links the midfield into the attacking third. She obviously scored a lot of goals at JUCO so she's a threat to do that, but I think she's an even bigger threat to set up her teammates to score. She has great experience and is a little older so we would expect her to make an impact immediately in the midfield."
Briana Woodall, F/MF, Kingwood, Texas (Porter HS/Texas Rush)
A member of Mexico's Under-17 Women's National Team, Woodall helped Mexico to a CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying Tournament championship in 2013 and scored nine goals in 14 international games in preparation for the 2014 FIFA U-17 World Cup. She also spent time in Mexico's U-20 WNT Training Camp in 2015. Â
Woodall also stars for Texas Rush, where she has played six years. Along the way, she participated in ECNL/id2 National Training Camp and the ECNL Player Development Program in 2015 and was also a member of the Region III ODP. Woodall was also recruited by Tulsa, Harvard, Vanderbilt and West Virginia.
Woodall is considered a three-star recruit by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
Carmichael on Woodall: "Briana is another attacking midfield player who is very technical, very good on the ball and strikes the ball really clean. She's good in possession, keeps the ball for her team. She has terrific experience with the Mexican national teams and is a very creative player who can help set up and score goals for us."
2016 Oklahoma State Cowgirl Soccer Signees
| Claire Gantzer | F/D | 5-11 | Plano, Texas |
| Dani Greenlee | GK | 5-9 | Rockwall, Texas |
| Elise Hawn | D | 5-8 | Melissa, Texas |
| Jaci Jones | MF/F | 5-4 | Mustang, Okla. |
| Julia Lenhardt | MF | 5-8 | Frisco, Texas |
| Charmé Morgan | D | 5-5 | Frisco, Texas |
| Kirsten Siragusa | D | 5-8 | Rowlett, Texas |
| Coumba Sow | MF | 6-0 | Zurich, Switzerland |
| Briana Woodall | F/MF | 5-4 | Kingwood, Texas |
